Ski brake



May 23, 1939. E. w. 'BURGETT SKI BRAKE Filed Feb. 9, 1938 IEIEIL :1 WZLG MIINVENTOR BY a A T70 EV Patented May 23, 1939 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to skis and particularly to attachments therefor for preventing rearward motion of the skis as the wearer is ascending slopes.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an automatically acting brake for skis or other like gliding instrumentalities which acts, as soon as the ski starts retrograde movement from the normal forward motion thereof, to grip the snow so as to prevent the said retrograde move ment beyond a certain limit.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage some of which, together with the foregoing, will be specifically set forth in the detailed description of the invention hereunto annexed. It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular species thereof shown and described as various other embodiments thereof may be employed within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear end portion of a ski showing the brake of my invention aflixed thereto.

Figure 2 is a View similar to Figure 1 showing the brake set during rearward motion of the ski.

Describing the invention in detail, the member 3 represents the rear end of a conventional ski upon the upper surface of which is mounted, by bolts 4, the base 6 of an angle bracket having an upwardly extending flange provided along its upper edge with looped tabs 8 which receive a pivot pin 9. A sheet metal brake flap ll is provided having on one transverse edge thereof a pair of looped tabs l2 through which the pivot pin 9 freely passes and at its opposite transverse edge with a sharpened bevel l3 provided with one or more notches M. The connection of the looped tabs 12 of the brake flap with the pin 9 provides for pivotal mounting of the flap on the bracket flange 1. To prevent upward movement of the brake flap beyond a predetermined limit, one of the tabs of the flange l is extended horizontally to provide a stop l6 against which the flap will impinge.

It will be seen that as the ski is slid along the surface of the snow IT, in the direction of the arrow [8, the brake flap will trail after the ski, as shown in Figure l, oifering no impedance to the movement of the latter. If, however, the ski should be moved rearwardly in the direction of the arrow IQ of Figure 2, as in shuttling the skis back and forth in climbing an incline, the sharpened distal end l3 of tbe brake flap will bite into the surface of the snow thereby causing the brake flap to embed itself and move to the vertical position shown in the latter figure. This will cause a quantity of snow 2i to pack up behind the brake flap and effectively prevent further rearward movement of the ski. When the movement of the ski is again changed to a forward direction, the brake flap will be easily withdrawn from the snow to again assume its trailing position shown in Figure 1. The provision of the notches M in the distal end of the brake flap is important. Quite often the surface of the snow is covered with a layer of ice which a brake flap having a plain entering edge would not penetrate. By providing the notches l4, the entering edge of the flap is divided into a pluralitycf narrow teeth which immediately start to bit into the icy crust as soon as the retrograde movement of the ski starts. Material backward slip of the ski, which is liable to cause the wearer to fall or be thrown off balance, is therefore prevented.

In order to reduce the weight of the brake to a minimum, it is proposed to construct the latter of duralumin or other such lightweight material. However, any metal which is resistant to corrosion may be advantageously employed.

It will be noted that the angle bracket is so positioned that the rear surface of the flange 1 is positioned slightly forward of the rear end of the ski. This permits the end of the ski to act as a stop for the brake flap, when the latter is in its vertical position shown in Figure 2, thereby resulting in a stronger construction than would obtain if the stop were provided in the hinge proper.

I claim:

1. A ski brake comprising a bracket secured to and having a vertical flange rising from a ski adjacent the rear end thereof, a pivot pin, a plurality of tabs extending from an edge of said flange and encircling said pivot pin and a tab extending from said edge of the flange and rising from the flange in a direction normal to the surface thereof, and a flap member having at one edge thereof flaps encircling said pivot pin and in another edge thereof a plurality of notches.

2. A ski brake comprising a bracket secured to and having a vertical flange rising from a ski adjacent the rear end thereof, a pivot pin, a plurality of tabs extending from an edge of said flange and encircling said pivot pin and a tab extending from said edge of the flange and rising from the flange in a direction normal to the surface thereof, and a flap member having at one edge thereof tabs encircling said pivot pin and a beveled opposite edge having therein notches to provide at said edge a plurality of sharpened teeth, and said flap having a portion thereof engageable with said normally rising tab of the flange, whereby the movement of the flap in one direction is limited, and a portion thereof engageable with the end of said ski whereby the flap may not move in an opposite direction beyond a position normal to the ski.

EZRA WILLIAM BURGE'I'T, 

